Social Responsibility

Our Commitment to Social Responsibility

At Revealed Travel, we strongly believe in providing support and help for social projects in the regions where we work. In South-East Asia our ground agents have introduced us to a number of social projects such as an orphanage in Cambodia and a restaurant in Laos which provides training and job opportunities for disadvantaged youths. Visiting such projects adds a different dimension to a holiday.

In Latin America we are working with the travel industry to support social projects throughout the region. These projects are helping to transform lives, providing clean water, dental or medical support and practical training to provide people with new skills in Mexico, Central and South America.

The LATA Foundation was set up by LATA – the Latin America Travel Association – bringing together tourist boards, airlines, tour operators, hotels, ground agents, travel publishers, PR companies and the press to put something back into the countries and region where we all work.

Since it was formed in 2007, the LATA Foundation has donated over £220,000 to a wide range of environmental and social projects in Latin America.

The LATA Foundation is run entirely by volunteers, most of whom have a background in the travel industry. As LATA covers bank fees and administration charges, pays for any printing and publicity materials, it means that all donations go directly to projects and are not swallowed up by overheads. Projects themselves are carefully vetted, assessed and closely monitored to ensure that funds go where they are needed most.

In 2018, the LATA Foundation is supporting the following core projects:

Brazil – VidArte Favela Project, Rio de Janeiro

Extra-curricular ballet, drama, football and audio-visual activities and classes to over 400 children and teenagers in one of the city’s notorious slums. This provides them with a safe place to go and, of course, encourages teamwork and discipline. Participation in classes and activities is subject to the pupils’ own attendance in mainstream education.

Support: £5,000 to pay 3 teachers wages, transport and food from February to September.

Guatemala – Mother & Baby Project, Santa Caterina de Baranhona

A Mother and Baby Health programme in a rural community where 80% of people live in poverty, in the 1000-day window, from pregnancy to the first two years, which is critical for child development. The programme includes information and advice on breastfeeding, vaccinations, mosquito-borne diseases, cleanliness and the proper disposal of waste.

Support: £2500

Nicaragua – Mountain Road Project, El Caracol and Agua Fría

The LATA Foundation has already funded a successful crop diversification project for two rural communities in Western Nicaragua. This year the Foundation is contributing towards improvements on the 2km mountain road to improve access to enable 500 people receive primary health care, make it easier for children to get to school and for farmers to take produce to markets to sell goods.

Support: £5,000 for improvements to 2km mountain road

Peru – After-school education, near Cuzco

Literacy lessons and English classes in an after-schools project in Oropesa and surrounding villages just outside Cuzco. In 2018 60 children will benefit ranging in age from 4 to 14.

Support: £3,156

Panama City – Training for disadvantaged women

Providing disadvantaged women with new skills and job opportunities in conjunction with Fundacion Calicanto and the travel industry. The average age of the women is 30 and she has three children, often with different fathers. Most have not completed their secondary education, live in poverty and 83% are from broken homes. 40% are victims of domestic violence.

Support: £7,502.50

Galapagos Islands – Plastics Campaign

We are working with the Galapagos Conservation Trust on an ambitious 5-year project to clean up the islands, campaign for the responsible disposal of waste and to reduce the use of plastic, in particular single-use bags, bottles, straws and cups and encourage the move towards sustainable packaging.

Support: £3,950

Argentina – Community Tourism, La Salamanca, Nr Salta

An indigenous Community Tourism Project near Salta in the North-West. In recent years the LATA Foundation has helped to set up a visitor centre and created bike tours (providing much needed jobs for local Guarani people). This year the plan is to build a canteen to help generate additional income locally.

Support: £5,000

Ecuador – Educational Project, Quito

In Ecuador, 34% of children do not complete their education, usually because their families can’t afford uniforms, books or transport – none of which are provided by the state – and sometimes because they are under pressure to get a job to support their families. The LATA Foundation is supporting a small educational project run by the Condor Trust with the provision of uniforms, books and school materials for secondary school pupils who are keen to learn but who are in danger of dropping out. Some have now gone on to graduate from higher education and are flourishing in professional jobs and thus breaking the familiar cycle of poverty.

”This project gave me the chance to finish school,” said Carolina, “and is now supporting me through University. It has given me and my whole family the hope of a much better future.” The Condor Trust has a very good track record of working with local schools to carefully identify boys and girls that are at risk.

A conservation project to protect just under 100 square miles of tropical dry forest. Tropical dry forest is the most endangered type of forest in Panama consisting of beaches, mangroves, dunes and marshes. The mangroves are the reproductive sites of many species of fish. Dunes are natural barriers to erosion, beaches are important for turtles to come ashore and lay their eggs and the marshes provide the important habitat, breeding and feeding grounds for hundreds of species of birds as well as the endangered Azuero Spider Monkey.

Support: £5,000

Costa Rica – Education Project, Guanacaste

Basic Education, English classes and Computer Skills

In the Guanacaste area of Costa Rica state education amounts to just 3 hours of tuition on 85 days each year, a paltry total of just 255 hours. The LATA Foundation is supporting a dedicated Youth Development programme which is delivering basic education, English classes and computer skills to 290 children in two villages. In 2017 they provided 688 hours of classes in one village and 642 hours in another.

Support: £4,100

Please visit the LATA Foundation to find out more about these projects and learn how the travel industry is working together to provide support. If you would like to make your own donation to the LATA Foundation, please follow the links from their website. On some tailor-made itineraries (e.g. Brazil, Guatemala and Costa Rica) it may be possible to visit a particular project.

Amongst the Revealed Travel team are people actively involved with the LATA Foundation. Katie Aston has been on the projects team for the last six years. David Gilmour was chairman of the LATA Foundation for 5 years and continues to give fundraising talks as an active donor to the organisation. He is also an Ambassador for the Todos Juntos Children’s Trust providing free dental care to disadvantaged children in Argentina, which also receives some support from the LATA Foundation.